But now the body politic is infested with some sort of social pathology called “movement conservatism,” which is neither responsible nor rational and exists, like a virus, merely to replicate itself. Although there are many vested interests pulling its strings, ultimately movement conservatism is a brainless organism that is killing its host.

The real reason the City Council is having such a hellish time coming to grips with this issue is that this is one of those areas where social attitudes and thinking simply have moved beyond conventional legal thinking or, for that matter, the permissible language of politics. Medical marijuana was, from the start, a back door to legalization, and now it's swung wide open.

The signatures in support of the Tax and Regulate Initiative, which would give local governments the authority to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana, will be submitted to state election officials early next year for verification.

Delaying the submission of signatures ensures the measure would be on the November 2010 ballot, said Richard Lee, the measure's chief supporter.

The petition drive collected more than 680,000 signatures in just two months, less than half the time allowed for such a drive, said Lee, who owns Oaksterdam University and Coffeeshop Blue Sky, two Oakland-based marijuana businesses.